Container structure having a closure carrying



2,73 6,050 SURE CARRYING RESERVOIR 2 Feb. 28, 1956 E CONTAINER STRUCTUREHAV A BRUSH AN AUXIL ed Oct. 2

A CLO IARY 7, 195

INVENTLM He 12 ry XL 8 e v I AT ()RNEY United States Patent CONTAINERSTRUCTURE HAVING A CLOSURE CARRYING A BRUSH AND AN AUXILIARY RESERVOIRHenry Y. Lee, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii Application October 27,1952, Serial No. 317,067

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-140.4)

This invention relates to a novel container for a liquid having volatileconstituents, such as nail polish, paint, rubber cement, adhesives, cornremover, ink eradicator and the like and has for a primary object toprovide a novel storage container for a reserve supply of the volatileingredient or ingredients and which may be utilized for replenishingsuch ingredients which have evaporated from the container for restoringthe contents of the container to its original condition and for thusrendering the container contents usable.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel containerstructure whereby the principal cause of loss of volatile ingredients ofa liquid through evaporation is eliminated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a container having anovel applicator supporting handleclosure wherein a portion of thehandle-closure'is detachable and constitutes the storage chamber of thereserve supply of a diluting liquid.

Still another object of the invention is to provide the closure-handlestructure wherein the handle portion forming the reserve supply iscapable of being deformed for ex- .truding the contents therefrom by acompressing action,

which will resume its normal shape when a compressing force is releasedtherefrom and which is so shaped that said handle portion may be grippedtightly without yielding when employed as a supporting handle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container having anovel construction whereby substantially all of the contents in thecontainer may be utilized and removed therefrom with the closure-handlesupported applicator.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, andwherein;

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the container completelyassembled;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view thereof takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the hollow handle member takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary central sectional view of a modifiedform of the handle member;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional viewillustrating another modification of the handle member, and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 illustrating another modificationof the handle member.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, and first with reference toFigures 1 to 3, the reference numeral 8 designates a container which maybe formed of any suitable material such as glass and which is providedwith a restricted externally threaded neck 9. The container 8 may be ofany desired external shape and size and may 2,736,050 Patented Feb. 28,1956,

be assumed to constitute a container for nail polish, not shown.

The container neck 9 is normally closed by a cap 10 which may be formedof plastic, hard rubber or any other suitable material. One end of thecap 10 is provided with an outwardly opening internally threaded recess11 which threadedly receives the externally threaded neck 9 for closingthe bore 12 of said neck. Said cap 10 is provided with a boss extendinginto the inner closed end of the recess 11 and which boss 13 fits intothe outer end of the neck bore 12 when the cap 10 is in a fully appliedposition, as illustrated in Figure 2. The opposite end of the cap 10 isprovided with an internally threaded recess or well 14 which opensoutwardly of the upper end thereof and in the bottom portion of which isseated a sealing disk 15 of a suitable compressible material.

An elongated plume-like hollow handle member 16 is provided with arestricted externally threaded neck 17 at one end thereof whichthreadedly engages in the well 14 for detachably connecting said handleto the upper end of the cap 10, and the extremity of which neck 17 bearsagainst the sealing disk 15. A bore 18 extends longitudinally throughthe neck 17 and has one end opening outwardly of the terminal thereofand its opposite end opening into a storage chamber 19 defined by thehollow interior of said handle 16. The handle 16 is preferably formed ofplastic and has a relative thin wall 20 surrounding the chamber 19. Saidhandle 16 is preferably of oval shaped cross section as illustrated inFigure 3 and the wall 20 thereof is capable of being deformed orcollapsed inwardly to reduce the size of the chamber 19 for ejecting thecontents thereof outwardly through the dispensing neck bore 18. Saidwall 20 resumes its normal shape as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3when a compressing force is released therefrom. It will be understoodthat any other suitable material may be employed in forming the handle16 which is resilient or yieldable and capable of being deformed by acompressing force and of resuming its normal shape when the force isreleased therefrom. Due to the oval cross sectional shape of the handle16, the opposite longer sides thereof may be more readily compressed ordisplaced toward one another for restricting the chamber 19 than themore remote rounded longitudinal edges, for a purpose that willhereinafter be described. The handle 16 is preferably tapered towardeach end thereof and has an upper closed end 21 of solid constructionwhich is tapered to substantially a rounded point. A small sealingelement or plug 29 is preferably disposed in the outer end of the bore18 after the chamber 19 has been initially filled through said bore witha liquid for diluting the contents of the container 8 after volatileingredients of the contents of the container 8 have evaporated and forreplacing said evaporated ingredients. However, it will be readilyunderstood that the storage chamber 19 may contain any suitable liquidnot necessarily for the purpose of diluting the contents of thecontainer 8.

An applicator, designated generally 22, includes an elongated brush head23 composed of a mass of bristles, one end of which mass is anchored ina conventional manner to one end of an elongated handle or stem 24. Theopposite end of the handle or stem is embedded in the intermediateportion of the cap or closure 10 and extends from the boss 13 thereofcentrally through and outwardly of the recess 11. As seen in Figure 2,the bottom of the container 8 is provided with a concave or dished innerside 25, the lowermost central portion of which is disposed centrallybeneath the neck 9. The applicator 22 is of such a length that When thecap 10 is in a fully applied position on the container neck 9,

. the free end of the brush head 23 will be disposed directly over andsubstantially contacting the central portion of the concave bottomsurface 25. A sleeve 26 is suitably secured in the neck bore 12 belowthe boss 13 and has a restricted lower end 27 terminating in arestricted opening or throat 28 which is only slightly larger indiameter than the stem 24. It will thus be seen that the applicator head23 will be compressed or drawn together as it is withdrawn through thethroat 28 for extracting any excess liquid therefrom and which liquidwill drain back into the container 8, leaving only the proper amount ofliquid on the applicator head 23 to be applied thereby to a surfacewithout dripping therefrom and to additionally prevent liquid from theapplicator head dripping onto the neck 9. The throat 28 additionallyeliminates the need of wiping excess liquid from the applicator head onthe rim of the neck 9 and thus maintains the neck in a clean conditionso that it may fully seat in and be closed by the cap to prevent orminimize evaporation of the volatile ingredients of the contents of thecontainer 8. The concavely rounded inner side of the restricted portion27 will compress the applicator head 23 as it is applied to thecontainer 3 to allow it to pass readily through the throat 28. When thecontents of the container 8 is substantially exhausted the remainder ofthe contents will readily drain into the central portion of the dishedbottom 25 with which the brush head 23 substantially contacts so thatsubstantially all of the contents of the container 8 may be withdrawntherefrom by the applicator head 23.

The chamber 19 of the handle 16 is filled, for example, with a liquid,not shown, to dilute the contents, not shown, of the container 8 aftersaid contents have been rendered unusable by evaporation of volatileingredients thereof to cause the container contents to resume a consistency of a character enabling the contents to be used for itsintended purpose. After the chamber 19 has been filled through the bore13 with the diluent or the like, the outer end of said bore ispreferably sealed with a plug 29 and the end portion 17 is then threadedinto the well 14. As the contents of the container 3 is normally used bythe purchaser in small amounts at a time and as air reaches the contentswhile the closure-handle 10, 16 is removed with the applicator 22 forapplying the container contents to a surface, ordinarily before thecontents is used up, said contents becomes too thick to be efficientlyused. When this occurs, the handle 16 is unscrewed from the cap 10 and apin or similar pointed instrument may be used for disengaging the plug29 and forcing it through the bore 18 into the storage chamber 19. Thedispensing neck 17 may then be inserted into or positioned over the neckbore 12 and by gripping the wide portions of the wall 20 between thethumb and finger, said wide wall portions can be displaced toward oneanother for partially collapsing the handle 16 for e ecting a part ofthe contents of the chamber 19 through the bore 18 into the container 8to dilute the contentts of the container by thus replacing theevaporated ingredientsthereof. When pressure is released from the wideopposite portions of the wall 20, the handle 16 will resume its normalshape as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3. After a sufiicient amount ofthe contents of the storage chamber 19 has thus been ejected therefrominto the container 8, the neck 17 is screwed back into the well 14 andits outer end seats against the sealing disk 15 for sealing the outerend of the bore 18. The reservo1r handle 16 may be gripped relativelytight between the thumb and fingers by exerting pressure on the roundedremotely disposed edge portions thereof without causing any collapsingof the handle so that the handle can thus be gripped together with theclosure 10 while the applicator 22 is being utilized.

Figure 4 illustrates a slightly modified form of the discharge end ofthe handle, designated 16a, and wherein the stem portion 17a is providedwith a relatively large bore 18a through which the storage chamber 19amay be filled. Thereafter, an elongated plug is inserted into the bore18:: and is suitably sealed therein to provide a liquid tight seal. Theplug 30 extends from endto-end of the bore 18a and has a flanged outerend 31 which bears against the outer end of the stem 17a. The plug 3%has a dispensing bore 32 extending from end-toend therethrough whichopens into the chamber 19:: and outwardly through the flanged end 31.Said bore 32 is preferably closed and sealed adjacent its outer end by aplug 2% corresponding to the plug 29 and which functions in the samemanner and for the same purpose. The outer end of the flanged head 31seats against a sealing gasket 15a of the closure 10a for sealing theouter end of the bore 32 after the plug 2% has been removed. It will bereadily apparent that the storage chamber 1% may be much more readilyfilled through the bore 18a than the storage chamber 19.

Figure 5 illustrates another modification of the handle to facilitatethe initial filling thereof and wherein the closed upper end 21b may beformed separately from the remainder of the handle 16b so that thestorage chamher 1% may be filled initially from the upper end thereofthrough the opening 33 after which the plug portion 34 is secured insaid opening 33 to provide a liquid tight seal and to permanently securethe handle end 2117 in place.- Said handle end 21b conforms externallyto the contour of the handle end 21 and provides a smooth extension ofthe external surface of said handle 16b.

Figure 6 illustrates another modification of the handle and wherein saidhandle 160 is provided with a large opening 35 at its lower end throughwhich the storage chamber 19c can be readily filled. The opening 35 isthen closed by a plug portion 36 of a dispensing neck 37 which issecured in a liquid tight engagement in the opening 35. The stem 37 hasan annularly enlarged portion 38 adjacent the plug 36, one end of whichbears against the lower end of the handle 16c, and a threaded portion 39extends from the opposite end of the enlargement 38 and threadedlyengages the well of the closure 100. A dispensing bore 40 extends fromend-to-end through the stem 37 and communicates with the chamber 190.Said bore is preferably tapered from its inner end to adjacent its outerend and is sealed adjacent its restricted outer end by a sealing plug290. After the seal 290 has been broken, the flared discharge end 41 ofthe bore 40 is sealed by the sealing disk when the stern portion 39 isfully applied to the well 140.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and mayobviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A container structure of the character described corn prising a liquidcontainer having an externally threaded neck, a throat member mounted insaid neck and provided at its lower end with a restricted throatopening, a cap having a threaded socket in one end thereof threadedlyreceiving and closing said threaded neck, an applicator including a stemhaving one end anchored in said cap and extending therefrom outwardlythrough the neck receiving socket and supported by the cap within saidcontainer, said applicator including a brush head depending from theopposite end of said stem and supported thereby within the container,said throat opening being sized to compress the brush head when theapplicator is withdrawn from the container whereby excess liquid issqueezed from the brush head, an elongated handle detachably connectedto and projecting from the opposite end of said cap and provided with ahollow interior constituting a liquid storage chamber for a liquid to besupplied to said container, said cap having an upwardly opening threadedwell in its upper end, a sealing means in the bottom of said well, andsaid handle having a threaded disnharge stem at its lower end threadedlyengaging said well and having a bore extending longitudinallytherethrough through which the contents of said chamber is adapted to bedischarged, the outer end of said bore being closed by said sealingmeans when said handle is engaged with the cap, and said handle having arelatively thin yieldable wall surrounding the storage chamber thereofcapable of being partially collapsed by a compressing pressure thereonfor restricting the storage chamber to eject the contents thereofthrough the dispenser bore when the handle is disconnected from theclosure and which wall will return to its normal shape when thecompressing force is released therefrom to provide a relatively stiff,non-limber handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS520,593 Hager May 29, 1894 6 7 Funk May 26, Lynam Apr. 7, LukaszewskiAug. 10, Paulson Nov. 5, De George Nov. 8, Oscar May 22, Rubens Nov. 23,Quisling Aug. 20, Sapery Sept. 17, De Witt Mar. 17, Ulvick Apr. 20,Lerrner Mar. 14, Gagen July 29, Kellet July 7, Osrow Ian. 4,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 25,

